Norv Turner didn’t say the thought of Brian Hoyer playing his way into a full 2013 shot as the Browns’ starting quarterback is ridiculous.

He said it is “premature.”

A fifth-year pro, Hoyer will make his second NFL start Sunday at Minnesota. The Browns have done nothing to slow speculation they don’t think Brandon Weeden is the answer.

Instead, they fueled it by trading Trent Richardson.

Now, they have two first-round picks with which they can maneuver for a quarterback in the 2014 draft. Now, having confirmed their fears about Weeden, they can experiment with Hoyer.

If Hoyer pulls off a miracle, then he enters the talk about who the team commits to for 2014. If not, well, this isn’t the first time Browns fans have been deluged with talk of next spring’s draft before the first official day of autumn.

As to Hoyer, Turner would only say, “It’s a chance for him to go play.”

Hoyer looked terrible in his first few practices after signing with the Browns on May 17. By Aug. 29, when he played the entire preseason finale against Chicago, he had made quite a leap.

He completed 24-of-35 passes for 307 yards and engineered an 18-16 win.

He handed off 12 times to a an undrafted rookie from Youngstown State, threw a touchdown pass to the Gronkowski brother who can’t stay in the league, kept trying to hit wideout David Nelson, and was protected by an undrafted rookie out of Temple.

One of them actually made the team.

“He did a lot of good things against Chicago,” Turner said. “I think that game helped him.”

How much it will help at Minnesota is debatable. Turner alluded to the Vikings’ strong defensive front, crowd noise in a dome, and the fact Hoyer has attempted less than 100 passes in real NFL games.

“When you haven’t played a lot,” Turner said, “there’s going to be ups and downs.”

Weeden hasn’t disappeared. He stretched and did footwork drills off to the side while the team practiced Thursday, seeming in normal spirits. Later in the day, Weeden was to report to a specialist to have his sprained right thumb examined.

Meanwhile, the big brass is sitting on a secret blueprint that may include chasing a quarterback high in next year’s first round.

The Browns may be on course for the worst record in the league, which would enable them to draft any quarterback they wish. Or, they could parlay the two first-round picks in their possession to move up for their man.

Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville and Brett Hundley of UCLA both are viewed as likely top-five picks at this point. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota is another name to watch.

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Of course, everyone wants to see how Hoyer holds up at Minnesota.